Fabric pleater guide

ABSTRACT

An adjustable fabric pleater guide which is portable and is provided with a scale on the measuring stick as well as indexes on the adjustable fabric guides for rapidly setting the required pleats longitudinally on the fabric.

United States Patent Sprung 1 June 6, 1972 [54] FABRIC PLEATER GUIDE [72] Inventor: Edmund Jay Sprong, 38 Lockwood Lane,

Riverside, Conn.

[221 Filed: Sept. 28, 1970 [21] App1.N0.: 76,062

[52] US. Cl... ..223/34 [51] Int. Cl. ..A4lh 43/00, D06j 1/00, D06j 1/12 [58] Field of Search ..223/28, 37, 34, 35, 2;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,805,007 9/1957 Aschbacher ..223/34 3,133,681 5/1964 Sher .223/34 3 ,O29,004 4/ l 962 Schiavone ..223/34 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 338,922 7/1921 Germany ..223/35 Primary Examiner-Jordan Franklin Assistant Examiner-Geo. V. Larkin AlmmeyAlfred E. Miller ABSTRACT An adjustable fabric pleater guide which is portable and is provided with a scale on the measuring stick as well as indexes on the adjustable fabric guides for rapidly setting the required pleats longitudinally on the fabric.

5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures FABRIC PLEATER GUIDE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Any person who has the task of making pleated drapes is aware of the difi'rculty in establishing the correct location of the required pleats on the length of fabric. Thus, in order for an individual to correctly measure for pleated drapes, the total width of each of the drapes is measured and the number of pleats desired is determined. Then, the width of each pleat is figured and the spacing between each pleat is calculated. This is a hit or miss" calculation in which several size adjustments are often made in order to achieve the proper pleat width and spacing between the pleats. Even after the aforesaid size adjustments are made it is not always certain that a precise calculation has been made in order to enable one to make a pleated drape with the correct measurements.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a fabric pleater guide which is adjustable for making precise measurements for selected pleat widths as well as the spacing of the fabric between the pleats.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a portable fabric pleater guide having both indexes and a measuring scale directly on the guide, for quick adjustment thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fabric pleater guide preferably fabricated of plastic and having guide arms which are adjustable relative to each other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable fabric pleater guide which is reliably effective for the purpose intended.

The present invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fabric pleater guide constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of a fabric pleater guide shown in FIG. 1.

The fabric pleater guide is referred to generally in the drawings by the reference numeral and comprises an L- shaped base member constituting an elongated measuring stick 12 forming the long leg thereof having a recessed median portion 14 and a preferably fixed guide arm 16 forming the short leg thereof. The top edge 12a of the measuring stick is provided with scale indicia, for example in inches. The pleater guide is provided with the above-described fixed guide arm 16 together with movable guide arms 18, and 22, all of which extend perpendicular in the same direction from the plane of the measuring stick 12. The movable guide arms 18, 20 and 22 are provided with complementary sliding keys 18a, 20a and 22a, respectively, which are adapted to slide in the recessed median portion 14 of the measuring stick 12. Wing nuts 24, 26 and 28 operable from the underside of the measuring stick 12 function to removably hold the movable guide arms 18, 20 and 22, respectively, in their selected adjusted position. Thus, when any of the wing nuts 24, 26 or 28 are loosened, the respective guide arms may be moved to selected positions. It should be noted that guide arms 18 and 22 are provided with index pointers 30 and 32 respectively.

As seen in FIG. 2 a length of cloth D is shown being measured for fabrication into pleated drapes. in this case the cloth D is doubled and the middle line of the drapes M is doubled around the outer edge 16a of the fixed guide arm 16, and the cloth drawn under the pre-set guide arm 18 as well as pre-set guide arm 20. A straight pin P is inserted in the fabric adjacent and parallel to the edge 18b. Thereafter the upper layer of cloth is pulled tight around the marginal edge 22f of the guide arm 22. In this regard, the distance A is the distance between pleats and the distance B is the overall length of the pleat. Another pin P is inserted in the fabric adjacent and parallel to the edge 20e of the fabric guide arm 20. The pins P and P are placed through the double fold of the cloth C. Thereafter, the cloth C is taken off the guide and reinserted with the pin P serving as the beginning of the next cloth measurement replacing the middle line M of drapes at the outer edge 16a of the fixed guide arm 16.

The same procedure is continued with respect to the remaining cloth C to be measured until all the cloth measurements have been completely laid out and the cloth fabric pinned at the precise locations where the pleats are to be made. lt should be apparent that the same procedure is followed for the other half of the fabric with the pleats being inserted in the direction opposite to the first operation, that is, to the right of the center of the fabric. After the fabric has been pinned at the precise selected locations, the fabric may be removed from the guide and the pleats stitched where marked by the pins in the normal manner for making pleated drapes.

The following is an instruction of the operative procedures used in making pleats in the fabric.

The guide with the pre-set guide arms 16 and 18 is held in the left hand. Pre-set guide arm 16 is inserted between the folds of fabric so that M, which is the middle of the fabric, is positioned along edge 16a on pre-set guide arm 16. Both layers of fabric are then drawn to the right under pre-set guide arm 18 firmly and pin P is inserted through both layers of fabric adjacent and parallel to the edge 18b on pre-set guide arm 18. This positions the pleat in the center of the fabric. To continue positioning pleats to the left this pleat is slipped off pre-set guide arms 16 and 18 and flipped to the right. The pleat is then slipped over pre-set guide arms 20 and 22 so that fold M will now lie over and around edge 22f on pre-set guide arm 22 and pin P lies adjacent and parallel to edge 20e on pre-set guide arm 20. The upper layer of fabric is taken and drawn to the left firmly under pre-set guide arm 18, over preset guide arm 16, and around edge 16a on pre-set guide arm 16 and then back to the right under pre-set guide arm 18. Pin F is inserted through both layers of the fabric adjacent and parallel to edge 18b on pre-set guide arm 18. This positions the first pleat to the left of the center of the fabric.

To position the second and subsequent pleats to the left both pleats are slipped off pre-set guide arms 16 and 18 and 20 and 22. The pleat (number one to left) that was formerly positioned over pre-set guide arms 16 and 18 is now flipped to the right and re-positioned over pre-set guide arms 20 and 22 so that center fold that was formerly positioned along edge 16a will now be positioned along edge 22f on pre-set guide arm 22 and pin P will now be adjacent and parallel to edge 20e on pre-set guide arm 20. The upper layer of fabric is drawn to the left firmly under pre-set guide arm 18 over and around edge 16a on pre-set guide arm 16 and back to the right under preset guide arm 18, and pin P is placed through both layers of fabric adjacent and parallel to edge 18b on pre-set guide arm 18.

Summarizing, when positioning pleats to the left pre-set guide arms 20 and 22 hold the previous pleat while pre-set guide arms 16 and 18 are used for positioning the next pleat. When positioning pleats to the right the procedure is reversed. Starting with M (center of fabric) positioned along on pre-set guide arm 16, pin l" is positioned adjacent and parallel to edge 18b on pre-set guide arm 18, after pre-set guide arms 16 and 18 have been inserted in the center pleat.

I claim:

1. A fabric pleater guide comprising an L-shaped base member having a short leg and a long leg, three arms mounted on said long leg of said L-shaped base member parallel to each other and to said short leg of said L-shaped base member, said arms being slidably secured to the long leg of said L-shaped base member, at least one of the sides of two of said arms being a straight edge, said arms being adjustable laterally relative to each other and said short leg whereby a length of fabric is doubled and the middle line thereof placed around the outer edge of said short leg and the cloth drawn under two adjacent spaced anns and over the third arm remote from said short leg so that the opposite straight edges on said two adjacent spaced arms act as markers for the placement of the spaced pleats on the fabric.

2. A fabric pleater guide as claimed in claim 1 wherein said long leg of the base member is provided with scale measuring indicia thereon.

3. A fabric pleater guide as claimed in claim 1 wherein each 4. A fabric pleater guide as claimed in claim 3 wherein said of said adjustable arms is provided with a key and an adjustaadjustable nut is a finger-operated wing nut. ble nut, and an elongated keyway in said long leg of the base 5 A fabric Pleater guide as Claimed in Claim 1 in Said member permitting each arm to be slidably moved and entire unit is commuted ofa P releasably held in a selected position on said long leg. 5 

1. A fabric pleater guide comprising an L-shaped base member having a short leg and a long leg, three arms mounted on said long leg of said L-shaped base member parallel to each other and to said short leg of said L-shaped base member, said arms being slidably secured to the long leg of said L-shaped base member, at least one of the sides of two of said arms being a straight edge, said arms being adjustable laterally relative to each other and said short leg whereby a length of fabric is doubled and the middle line thereof placed around the outer edge of said short leg and the cloth drawn under two adjacent spaced arms and over the third arm remote from said short leg so that the opposite straight edges on said two adjacent spaced arms act as markers for the placement of the spaced pleats on the fabric.
 2. A fabric pleater guide as claimed in claim 1 wherein said long leg of the base member is provided with scale measuring indicia thereon.
 3. A fabric pleater guide as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of said adjustable arms is provided with a key and an adjustable nut, and an elongated keyway in said long leg of the base member permitting each arm to be slidably moved and releasably held in a selected position on said long leg.
 4. A fabric pleater guide as claimed in claim 3 wherein said adjustable nut is a finger-operated wing nut.
 5. A fabric pleater guide as claimed in claim 1 wherein said entire unit is constituted of a plastic. 